Omanyala out for season with heel injury
USA's Noah Lyles (R) runs to first place ahead of second-placed Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala (2nd L), third-placed Botswana's Letsile Tebogo (L) and Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs (2nd R) the men's 100m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Jeff PACHOUD / AFP)
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The African 100m record holder revealed the injury in a social media post on Tuesday, confirming that he will miss his final two races of the season, including the Diamond League Final in Brussels and the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
Omanyala says the injury was sustained two weeks before the Commonwealth Games, ruling him out of the season-ending assignment.
“I won’t be able to compete in my final two races of the season,” Omanyala said.
The setback brings an abrupt end to a campaign in which the 2022 Commonwealth champion rediscovered his consistency and returned to the Diamond League winners’ circle.
Omanyala opened his outdoor campaign with victory at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on April 24, clocking 9.96 seconds to beat South Africa’s Rivaldo Roberts and Canada’s Aaron Brown.
Two days later, he was third at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, again dipping under 10 seconds in 9.95.
He carried that form into the Diamond League, finishing second in Shanghai in 9.98 before claiming his first Diamond League victory in more than two years in Xiamen, where he clocked 9.94.
Although he endured an eighth-place finish in Rome in 10.11, Omanyala bounced back to win the Kenyan 100m national title in 10.00 seconds.
He later finished sixth in Paris in 10.02 seconds.
The Kenyan sprinter’s consistency earned him a place in the Diamond League Final, where he finished the season ranked third in the 100m standings with 19 points tied with Americans Trayvon Bromell and Jordan Anthony.
Jamaican world champion Oblique Seville tops the standings with 23 points, alongside South Africa's Gift Leotlela.
He had also put together five consecutive sub-10-second performances, underlining a strong resurgence on the global circuit.
His withdrawal means Omanyala will miss the opportunity to become the first Kenyan sprinter to win a Diamond League Final trophy when the 2026 finale takes place in Brussels on September 4 and 5.
Reflecting on his campaign, Omanyala described it as “a season to be proud of”, thanking his coach, team, sponsors and partners for their support.
“Not quite the finish we had planned, but there is so much from this season to celebrate and be grateful for,” he said.
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